Two Ontario Companies Pay Over $54,000 to Settle Claims of Unlicensed Software Use
TWO ONTARIO COMPANIES PAY OVER $54,000 TO SETTLE CLAIMS OF UNLICENSED SOFTWARE USE
The Business Software Alliance Continues Enforcement Effort to End Under-Licensing in Canada
TORONTO (April 04, 2011) – Two more Canadian organizations have settled claims of unauthorized copying of copyrighted software with the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The companies, which are based in Ontario, paid a combined total of $54,322 and agreed to delete all unlicensed copies of software, purchase any licenses necessary to become compliant, and commit to implementing software asset management (SAM) practices. BSA was alerted to the unlicensed software use via confidential reports made on its web site www.nopiracy.ca .
As part of its worldwide mandate of promoting a safe and legal digital world, BSA is committed to raising awareness about the risks associated with software piracy and taking action against illegal software use.
These settlements are the result of BSA’s enforcement program which investigates cases concerning alleged under-licensing, a form of copyright infringement that occurs when software is installed on multiple computers without proper authorization. Under the Canadian Copyright Act, under-licensing can result in fines of up to $20,000 for each software title illegally copied.
“Under-licensing continues to be an issue across Canada, affecting companies of all sizes and in all industry sectors,” said Michael Murphy, Chairman of the BSA Canada Committee. “Proper software asset management policies and procedures can help to ensure your business doesn’t risk paying damages for unlicensed software.”
The companies that have settled with BSA are as follows:
Ontario
| Company | Description | Location | Settlement |
| TMF Foods Ltd. | Food manufacturer | Stoney Creek | $34,322 |
| DVI Lighting | Lighting designer and distributor | Concord | $20,000 |
“DVI Lighting is committed to using only licensed software on our company computers,” said a spokesperson for the company. “We’ve developed a comprehensive software license management program and we’re confident that our software is fully and appropriately licensed.”
Most of BSA’s software investigations begin with a call to its anti-piracy hotline, 1-888-NO-PIRACY, or with a report to an online reporting form at www.nopiracy.ca. The majority of reports come from current or former employees. Upon receiving information of alleged software piracy, BSA contacts the company to explore the matter further by asking them to perform an audit of its software assets. If a settlement cannot be reached, both parties have the option of turning the matter over to the courts. In the cases announced today, BSA’s attorneys contacted the companies and invited them to work towards an informal resolution.
Software piracy continues to be a serious problem in Canada. According to a 2010 BSA-IDC study, 29 per cent of PC software installed on computers in Canada in 2009 was pirated, with a retail value of approximately US$943 million.* A BSA-IDC study released last month on the economic impact of piracy in Canada suggests that reducing Canada’s piracy rate by 10 percentage points over four years would create an estimated 6,445 high-tech jobs, over US$3 billion in new economic activity, and nearly US$1.5 billion in new taxes by 2013, with 85 per cent of those benefits expected to remain in the local economy.**
In an effort to help prevent software piracy and promote the most effective utilization of software assets, BSA recently launched SAM Advantage, the first comprehensive online Software Asset Management course aligned to the global ISO SAM standard.
About BSA
The Business Software Alliance (www.bsa.org) is the foremost organization dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world. BSA is the voice of the world's commercial software industry and its hardware partners before governments and in the international marketplace. Its members represent one of the fastest growing industries in the world. BSA programs foster technology innovation through education and policy initiatives that promote copyright protection, cyber security, trade and e-commerce. BSA members include Adobe, Altium, Apple, Autodesk, Bentley Systems, Corel, Dassault Systèmes SolidWorks Corporation, Microsoft, Minitab, Progress Software, Quark, Quest Software, Rosetta Stone, Siemens, Sybase, Symantec, and The MathWorks.
*Global Software Piracy Study, conducted by IDC for the Business Software Alliance, released May 2010.
**The Economic Benefits of Reducing Software Piracy Study, conducted by IDC for the Business Software Alliance, released September 2010.
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